Editor, RE: “Schools get Rwf3bn teaching materials” (The New Times, April, 1). Kudos to USAID for this great initiative, which will directly benefit 2,460 schools and reach an estimated 1.1 million pupils! President Paul Kagame only very recently stressed the need to focus on education and stated that “there are opportunities now for children to go to school”. US ambassador to Rwanda Erica Barks-Ruggles said that, through this partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Rwanda Education Board, their “combined efforts to improve education outcomes can make a difference in early grade reading and in the future of this country”. What is most interesting is the fact that under this arrangement, the Ministry of Education was given copyright of the books so as to enable their reproduction in the future. Such a positive approach on the part of USAID will go a long way in enhancing primary school education in Rwanda. Simultaneously, the ‘New Rwanda’ is also attracting international universities from different countries like USA, Kenya and India. The Ministry of Education’s continued and pro-active support and facilitation of these investors will take Rwanda’s education sector to even greater heights. Clarence Fernandes
